Foundation for
Cross-Connection Control
and Hydraulic Research
a
D i v i s i o n
o f
t h e
U n i v e r s i t y
o f
S o u t h e r n
C a l i f o r n i a
inside: charter members | direction of flow | hosting a course ... and more
Cross Talk
Winter 2013
One Day
Update Seminars
Beginning in April, the USC Foundation
will be hosting one-day seminars to offer
backflow prevention assembly testers and
cross-connection control program specialists
an opportunity to be refreshed on current
field test procedures and cross-connection
control topics. Additionally, all attendees will
be eligible for continuing education units
(CEU’s).
The USC Foundation will be hosting its first
one-day update seminar in Los Angeles on
Contents
Charter Members p. 3
Direction of Flow p. 4
Hosting a Specialist Training Course p. 6
April 29, 2013. The seminar will refresh
attendees on the field test procedures and diagnostics for backflow prevention assemblies
according to the Tenth Edition of the Manual
of Cross-Connection Control. All attendees
at the update seminar will be eligible for 0.6
CEU’s the equivalent of 6 contact hours.
The April one-day seminar is ideal for students who are familiar with field-testing
backflow preventers, but may need some
review or to become familiar with changes
in the Tenth Edition of the Manual of CrossConnection Control. USC Foundation staff
will be on hand to guide students and answer
any questions regarding the field test procedures found in the Tenth Edition manual.
continued on page 7
Foundation
Membership
The Foundation’s Membership Program provides many benefits to the Members of the Foundation.
These include: a twenty-five percent discount on manuals, twenty percent discount on Foundation Training Courses for any employee of the Member company/organization, the List of Approved
Backflow Prevention Assemblies with access to the up-to-the-minute version on the Foundation’s
website.
Members are encouraged to call the Foundation with technical questions. The Foundation’s Engineering Staff is available to assist Members with the various aspects of field testing backflow
preventers, installing backflow preventers and administering their cross-connection control program.
Below is a list of those who have become members of the Foundation since the last Cross Talk:
Al’s Testing
City of Hope
B & B Plumbing & Installations
Milton Lynn Kurten
Cottage Grove, City of
New Jersey Alliance of Master Plumbers
DS Wagner Construction
Pedro Murillo Ramirez
First-In
Rutland, City of - Water Department
General Dynamics Electric Boat
The Dalles, City of
Green Tech & Health
TriMet Transit District
GRZ Mechanical, LLC.
WSH Company, Inc.
Cross Talk is published by the Foundation for Cross-Connection Control and Hydraulic Research,
a division of the University of Southern California, for Foundation Members.
2013 © University of Southern California. All rights reserved.
Page 2
WINTER 2013
Cross Talk
C e l e b r a t i n g 4 5 Ye a r s
of the USC Foundation Membership Program
Charter Members
For over 45 years the USC
City of Burbank
City of Redlands
Foundation membership
California Domestic Water Company
Rowland Water District
program has allowed the
USC Foundation to mainCity of El Monte
San Bernardino Water Department
tain its strong leadership in
City of El Segundo
City of San Diego
backflow prevention and
City of Inglewood
San Gabriel County Water District
cross-connection control.
Irvine Ranch Water District
San Gabriel Valley Water Company
With constant support
from its members the USC
City of Manhattan Beach
City of Signal Hill,
Foundation has develCity of Monrovia
City of Torrance,
oped training courses and
Newhall County Water District
Vallecitos Water District
tools which are valuable
City of Oxnard
City of Vernon
for anyone interested in
backflow prevention or
Park Water Company & Subsidiaries
Walnut Valley Water District
cross-connection control.
City of Pasadena
Yorba Linda Water District
And, for that support the
USC Foundation would
like to acknowledge those water utilities that
The SCWUA check helped setup the USC
have been there from the start.
Foundation membership program. The
membership program helps fund the day-today operations of the USC Foundation along
with providing for partial funding of research
projects that benefit the water distribution
industry as a whole.
Above is the list of those water utilities, which
have supported the USC Foundation from the
start and continue to support its membership
program.
Presentation of the first check by SCWWA
On March 1967 the Board of Directors of the
Southern California Water Utilities Association (SCWUA), Inc., made up of public and
private water utilities, presented USC with a
$10,000 check. With this check the SCWUA
implemented an agreement with the University for the continuing operation of the USC
Foundation.
It is important to note that the USC Foundation is a self-funded division of the University
of Southern California. The money that is
raised through its membership program helps
to develop tools like the new Field Testing
Backflow Preventers, Instructional Video.
Therefore, it is important to the USC Foundation to maintain support for its membership
program.
With its first set of members, 45 years ago,
the USC Foundation has grown to include
agencies across the United States. Water and
health agencies across the nation have joined
the USC Foundation membership program for
its exclusive benefits like the List of Approved
Backflow Prevention Assemblies and its discounts on training courses and training tools.
continued on page 7
Cross Talk
WINTER 2013
Page 3
Direction of Flow
The direction of flow test on the second
check of the reduced pressure principle assembly (RP) has been an area of discussion
since the development of the field test procedures found in the Manual of Cross-Connection Control, Ninth Edition. With a direction
of flow test, a tester may be able to determine more accurately whether a backflow
prevention assembly is operating properly.
However, the test is not found in the field test
procedures in either the older Ninth Edition or
the current Tenth Edition of the manual.
However, the direction of flow test is found
in the Appendix chapter of each manual. The
USC Foundation occasionally receives enquiries regarding the decision not to include the
test as part of the field test procedure.
The decision whether or not to include the
direction of flow test in the field test procedures for the RP was made after much
discussion by the Manual Review Committee
for the Ninth Edition. The decision to exclude
it, from the field test procedure, was made
in order to allow each administrative authority to decide independently whether they
wanted to make it a requirement in their area
of jurisdiction.
The direction of flow test provides the
backflow prevention assembly tester
with more information than the current
backpressure test found in the field test
procedure for the RP. For example, with the
direction of flow test, the tester may be able
to determine if the backflow preventer is currently meeting the design criteria, set forth
in the Standards found in the Tenth Edition
manual, of holding at least 1.0 psid in the
direction of flow.
The direction of flow test is located in Appendix A of the Tenth Edition Manual (A.2.2).
The requirement for this test states, “The
static pressure drop across check valve No. 2
shall be at least 1.0 psid. If shutoff valve No.
2 is found to be leaking this test cannot be
performed accurately.”
Therefore, the direction of flow test provides
a higher level of assurance that the assembly
is operating the way it was designed to operate.
Page 4
WINTER 2013
Cross Talk
Also, under certain laboratory conditions,
it is possible to create a leak across a check
valve such that the check valve will pass the
backpressure test and yet fail the direction of
flow test.
This is done by fouling the check valve just
slightly, perhaps by using an object with high
degree elasticity like a rubber band. During
the direction of flow test the reading may be
lower than the 1.0 psid requirement if the
loading of the
check valve is
not high enough
to force the
check valve to
close against the
“debris.” With
the backpressure
test, however,
the force exerted
on the backside
of the check
valve may actually force the
check valve to
seal around the
debris or fouling
object.
It is normally assumed that if the
check valve holds in the direction
of flow, it would also hold against
a backpressure. This is true unless
the backpressure is high enough
to force a leak through the elastomer disc or actually damage the
disc. However, this is highly unlikely
because of the USC Foundation
laboratory tests performed on the
assemblies before they are ever approved or even released to the field
evaluation phase of the USC Foundation’s Approval Program.
One of the laboratory tests, as
noted in the Standards found in the
Tenth Edition manual (10.1.2.2.3.1),
requires the second check valve to
be subjected to a backpressure of
twice the maximum working water
pressure of the assembly without
any damage, permanent deformation or impairment of operation. Any evidence of leakage is cause for rejection.
So, aside from certain laboratory conditions,
the direction of flow test seems like it should
be a part of the field test procedures, but it is
not.
The field test procedures published in the
Tenth Edition manual by the USC Foundation
are just that, field test procedures.
Therefore, it is important to take into account what is actually occurring in the field
as opposed to a
laboratory setting.
Probably the most
common problem,
which arises for the
field tester, is a leaking shutoff valve.
In the field, the
tester must be able
to perform the test
on the backflow
preventer realizing
that shutoff valves
may be leaking. The
tester, therefore,
either has to repair
the leak or compensate for the leak in such a manner that
allows for an accurate field test.
When testing the RP, the tester may
come across a leaking No. 2 shutoff
valve. If the leak is slight, the tester
may be able to perform the field test by
compensating for the leak. However,
if the tester is using the direction of
flow test for the second check valve, it
is necessary to determine if the No. 2
shutoff valve is leaking before performing the test. Otherwise, the test results
could be false.
Remember, Appendix A.2.2 of the
Tenth Edition manual states, “If shutoff
valve No. 2 is found to be leaking this
test cannot be performed accurately.”
Most testers are quite aware of the fact that
shutoff valves frequently leak, at least a small
amount. It is desirable to obtain an acceptable field test in situations where one or both
of the shutoff valves have slight leaks.
If it is necessary to repair each shutoff valve
before proceeding with the testing of the
backflow preventer, many testers would be
spending most of their time repairing and
replacing shutoff valves instead of testing and
repairing backflow preventers. Since the purpose of the shutoff valves is for testing and
maintenance, it is acceptable for the shutoff
valves to leak slightly as long as the tester
can accurately determine the condition of the
components preventing backflow.
The Manual Review Committee recognized
that the direction of flow test for the second
check of the RP required a drip tight No. 2
shutoff valve. To possibly fail an RP due to a
drip leak in a shutoff valve was not considered appropriate for a field test. None of the
field test procedures contained in the Manual
require that the shutoff valves hold drip tight
to perform an accurate field test.
Therefore, the USC Foundation decided not
to include the direction of flow test in the
field test for the second check of the RP.
Making it a requirement would amount to
testers spending most of their time verifying
and repairing No. 2 shutoff valves to meet the
drip tight requirement. Since, it is possible to
detect a leaking No. 2 shutoff valve and compensate for the leak allowing an acceptable
field test, the backpressure test was included
as part of the field test for the reduced pressure principle assembly.
But, realizing many administrative authorities
will want to use the direction of flow test in
order to get as much data as possible in order
to ascertain the condition of the assembly;
the direction of flow test is included in Appendix A (A.2.2) of the Tenth Edition Manual.
g
A check valve that is leaking (i.e., 0.0
psid) at a static condition may actually
show an acceptable reading of 1.0 psid
or greater should there be water flowing through the assembly.
Cross Talk
WINTER 2013
Page 5
Hosting a Specialist Training Course
Education is crucial for anyone interested in
becoming involved in backflow prevention or
cross-connection control. Therefore, the USC
Foundation continues to make available training courses in administering a cross-connec-
tion control program. Many of these courses
are made available throughout the year in the
Los Angeles area. However, the USC Foundation understands that some students may
not be able to travel to the Los Angeles area
and in those instances the USC Foundation
encourages members to think about hosting
a USC Foundation training course.
Hosting a course provides an opportunity
for those involved with cross-connection
control and backflow prevention in various
parts of the country to be trained by the USC
Foundation Staff as cross-connection control
specialists. The USC Foundation staff has offered training courses in Texas, Hawaii, South
Carolina, Indiana, Nevada, Louisiana and
other areas.
There is no cost for the hosting agency to
host a USC Foundation training course. And,
the hosting organization will receive complimentary registration for two attendees.
The following are the main items to consider
in the decision to host a USC Foundation
Specialist training course:
The Specialist Course
The USC Foundation’s Course for the Training
of Cross-Connection Control Program Specialists is designed to train the attendees in the
various aspects involved in administering a
Page 6
WINTER 2013
cross-connection control program. Main topics discussed are: Rules & Regulations, Policies
& Procedures, Record Keeping, Plan Checks,
Public Relations and Site Surveys. Much of the
course is dedicated to the site survey to help
the attendee assess the
degree of hazard at any water using facility. The course
includes a short survey of a
facility as part of the examination.
Meeting Place:
The meeting place should
be a room large enough to
accommodate approximately 30 course participants.
The room should have a
whiteboard with pens,
along with being suitable
for multimedia presentations.
Course Materials:
The USC Foundation will provide, for each
student, a binder containing a syllabus, a time
schedule for the week and several reference
materials. Also provided, for each student,
will be a current copy of the Manual of CrossConnection Control. In addition, the contact
for the hosting agency should provide the
USC Foundation office with local and state
regulations so that the instructors can adjust
the course to the legal requirements of the
region.
The USC Foundation will provide a ‘‘certificate
of completion’’ for each student of the class
who successfully completes the course. Also,
continuing education units (CEU’s) are given
to students who attend every day of the
course. Specialist course students receive 3.7
CEU’s the equivalent of 37 contact hours.
Field Survey:
The hosting organization needs to locate facilities, which will be suitable for field surveys
on Tuesday afternoon and Thursday morning
of the class. The facilities should be located
nearby the classroom and should have several
water uses. There should be at least three
separate and diverse water uses located at
the facility.
Before the site is finalized and the proper
permission is sought for the surveys, the host-
Cross Talk
ing organization contact should call the USC
Foundation office and discuss the facility with
one of the course instructors. In many cases
a course instructor will preview the proposed
survey locations in advance of the class to
verify their suitability for this portion of the
class.
On Thursday morning of the class, the students will then be
required to survey
the locations to
determine the uses
of water, whether
there are any
actual or potential
cross-connections
and ultimately determine the degree
of hazard and appropriate backflow
protection. A
separate location
is necessary for an
instructor led presurvey, on Tuesday
afternoon.
Hosting a USC
Foundation Specialist course is
surprisingly easy and can be beneficial for any
USC Foundation member. Hosting a course
gives any member the opportunity to have
employees involved with cross-connection
control and backflow prevention informed
about the latest developments in the field.
Registration will be handled directly by the
USC Foundation office. Prior to the announcement of the course, the hosting
agency may be asked to recommend local
accommodations for those not in the immediate area. Course attendees must submit a
registration application with payment. The
USC Foundation will then mail a confirmation
letter to all course participants.
The USC Foundation office is currently in the
process of scheduling courses for 2014. If
any USC Foundation member is interested in
hosting one of the Specialist training courses,
please visit the USC Foundation’s website or
contact the office to obtain a detailed hosting
outline or discuss the possibility with one of
the USC Foundation’s instructors. g
charter members: continued
continued from page 3
In addition to its members nationally, the USC
Foundation also includes international members from countries around the world seeking
to receive the latest information regarding
backflow prevention and cross-connection
control.
With the continued support of the members
the USC Foundation will continue to develop
new training courses and training tools for
the considerable future. g
seminars: continued
continued from page 1
Discussions will include the differences between the Ninth and Tenth Edition field test
procedures and diagnostic scenarios that may
be causing a backflow preventer to fail during
the field test procedure.
The one-day seminar is not meant to be a
replacement for the USC Foundation week
long tester training courses. For those students new to testing backflow preventers, the
USC Foundation continues to recommend the
week long tester training course.
In the future the USC Foundation’s one-day
seminars will cover topics such as establishing a cross-connection control program, site
surveys, hydraulics and rules/regulations to
name a few.
Attending the one-day seminar may also
help fulfill a student’s requirements for CEU’s.
Many students who attend a USC Foundation
training course follow it up by taking a certification exam from a local health/water department or from a national organization. Many
of these certification organizations require
that the student complete a number of contact hours to maintain their certification year
after year. As mentioned above, students at
the one-day seminar will be eligible for 0.6
CEU’s, the equivalent of 6 contact hours.
Registration for the one-day seminar may be
found on the USC Foundation’s website or
students may contact the USC Foundation
office for more information. g
Cross Talk
WINTER 2013
Page 7
Training
Courses
Tester Course
Los Angeles, CA
22-26 April 2013
Los Angeles, CA
15-19 July 2013
Upcoming
Events
Nebraska ABPA
Region 12 Conference
Kearney, NE
6 March 2013
Specialist Course
CA/NV AWWA
Spring Conference
Las Vegas, NV
25-28 March 2013
Los Angeles, CA
29 July - 2 August 2013
CEHA 62nd Annual
Educational Symposium
Los Angeles, CA
1-4 April 2013
Los Angeles, CA
18-22 March 2013
One-Day Update Seminar
Los Angeles, CA
29 April 2013
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Foundation for
Cross-Connection Control
and Hydraulic Research
University of Southern California
Kaprielian Hall 200
3620 South Vermont Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90089-2531
Contact Information
Phone: 866-545-6340
Fax: 213-740-8399
E-mail: fccchr@usc.edu
Website: fccchr.usc.edu
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